5 Facts You Didn’t know About Water in Your Home

September 17, 2018

You might know that non-weather water damage is the biggest and priciest threat to homeowners, but there is more to H20 than simply avoiding disaster, like usage.

The EPA says the average American family uses up to 300 gallons of water per day, with nearly three-quarters of it coming inside the home. Did you know that the average shower uses 17.2 gallons of water? Or that a bath requires upwards of 70? Or that a quarter of our usage comes flushing the toilet?

It’s safe to say we depend on water at nearly every turn, and our homes would cease to exist without it. To brush up on your water-in-the-home knowledge, below are five facts you (probably) didn’t know about H20 in your home:

Use Your Dishwasher

Sometimes the lazy option is the best option. National Geographic reports that using a dishwasher instead of scrubbing and drying dishes by hand is actually a more efficient use of water. So go ahead and load, rinse, repeat.

You Make Up 1% of Freshwater Withdrawals

Wasting water is bad for the planet and your monthly bill. But it’s fair to keep in mind the breakdown of water usage in the U.S. Consider this graphic from the EPA:

As mentioned above, flushing the toilet accounts for big portion of water usage — almost four gallons per flush. Want to cut down? Add a brick — or anything of the like — to the back water tank. This will displace the water, and your flushing capacity won’t be largely affected.

﻿Water In The Mornings or Late Afternoon

Like you, the lawn needs water too. The EPA suggests watering in the morning or late afternoon to avoid evaporation, hence waste. And, the agency says, lawns usually only need to be watered once a week in the summer.